Poll: Donald Trump Leads Ron DeSantis in Florida GOP Primary

Former President Donald Trump leads Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and his other potential competitors in a crowded Republican primary field in Florida, according to a hypothetical poll.

The Emerson College Polling survey published Friday shows that 47 percent of Florida GOP primary voters back Trump in his quest for the nomination. He sits three-percentage points ahead of the Sunshine State’s governor at 44 percent.

“While 90% of Republican voters approve of DeSantis, that does not translate into a firewall of support over the former President for the nomination in their home state,” Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball said.

While Trump announced his bid for the White House in November, DeSantis has not declared his candidacy. Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are the only other Republicans to announce.

No other potential candidate eclipses the five percent mark. Former Vice President Mike Pence is backed by four percent of respondents, while two percent support Nikki Haley. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) both have one percent support.

In a race strictly among active candidates, Trump takes 79 percent of the response, followed by Haley at 16 percent and Ramaswamy at 6 percent. In that scenario, 69 percent of DeSantis supporters flock to Trump.

This portion of the poll surveyed 443 GOP primary voters in Florida between March 13-15. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.6 percentage points.

The poll also gauged potential general election match-ups between the top two GOP candidates and President Joe Biden among 1,158 Florida voters. Trump and Biden are in a dead heat in a rematch of the 2020 presidential election. Both garner 44 percent of support, while 9 percent would back another candidate and 3 percent are undecided.

DeSantis leads Biden 46 percent to 43 percent. Seven percent of voters would support someone else, and four percent are undecided. The portion of the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

Emerson College also released a New Hampshire GOP presidential primary poll last week, showing Trump with a towering 41-point lead over DeSantis in the GOP first primary state in the nation.